Our deal, once thwarted by opposition, Congress ‘subtly’ tells Obama
Anand Sharma was critical of the Modi government for trumpeting that it had broken the stalemate over the nuclear deal.
President Pranab Mukherjee and US First Lady Michelle Obama look on as US President Barack Obama shakes hands with UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi during a banquet hosted at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Sunday. (PTI Photo)
Barack Obama on Monday set time aside to meet Narendra Modi’s predecessor Manmohan Singh and the top leadership of the Congress. Their discussions included the issue of putting into operation the civil nuclear agreement — signed when UPA was in office.
Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi met Obama; former commerce minister Anand Sharma was part of the delegation. The Congress had been apprehensive that the Modi government could tinker with the nuclear liability law and was preparing to oppose any such move, party sources said. They said they did not, however, discuss with Obama the nuts and bolts of the understanding arrived at between the two countries. The Congress has called for a full public disclosure of the understanding. “It is still vague. We are yet to see the fine print,” Sharma told The Indian Express.
The sources said the Congress leaders “subtly pointed out” to Obama that while the UPA government had been committed to operationalising the nuclear deal, an impediment had come in the form of domestic opposition, making it clear that the roadblocks had been created by the then opposition BJP. “There was a frank exchange of views on this front,” Sharma said.
The sources said Obama praised Singh during the meeting, even referring to the fact that he as finance minister was the original architect of the India’s economic reforms. Singh, the sources said, replied that he was committed to reforms with a human face and economic growth and development which is inclusive. He said that was necessary in a country like India where tens of millions of people still live under the margin of subsistence.
Obama and the Congress delegation also discussed Indo-US cooperation in other areas. Sharma said the meeting went “very well” and called the exchange of views “very positive”.
Sharma was critical of the Modi government for trumpeting that it had broken the stalemate over the nuclear deal. “The Prime Minister yesterday called the 2008 agreement transformative. For the BJP at that time, it was surrendering of the national sovereignty and national interests. It is very clear. Without saying it in so many words, it is in effect admission of a mistake and a course correction,” he said.
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